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Book Reviews

Books for Parents of Children and Adolescents

with AD/HD

Books for AD/HD Children and Adolescents

Books dealing with Adult AD/HD

Books on Other

Mental Health Topics

 

Books for Parents of Children and Adolescents

with AD/HD

  1. Daredevils

    and Daydreamers : New Perspectives on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ,

    1997 by Barbara

    D., Ph.D. Ingersoll A well-rounded book, dealing with the diagnostic process

    and also practical, real-world behavioral issues.

     

  2. Voices from

    Fatherhood : Fathers, Sons and AD/HD

    by Patrick

    J. Kilcarr, Patricia

    O. Quinn 1997. Deals with the vital role that fathers can play in the

    facilitating the AD/HD child’s development.

     

  3. Hyperactivity:

    Why Won’t My Child Pay Attention?

    By Goldstein and Goldstein (1992) This book is useful for parents and also for

    teachers. It discusses how the traits of a hyperactive child may get him into

    trouble at school and make him the family scapegoat at home. It discusses

    parenting techniques and advocates multi-modal treatment.  

     

  4. Attention

    Deficit Disorder: A Different Perceptive

    by

    Thom Hartmann (1993)

    Mr. Hartmann has a unique view of AD/HD. He sees it as a valid cluster of

    personality traits that have only become problematic as our society has shifted

    to a more sedentary, detail-oriented lifestyle. He suggests that society should

    value people with AD/HD because their “action-oriented” style can be

    useful in the right situation or the right job. He advocates special learning

    environments for AD/HD children. This book raises the interesting question of

    how much an individual should conform to society and how much society should

    make efforts to accommodate individual differences

    .

      

  5. The

    Hyperactive Child, Adolescent and Adult (Attention Deficit Disorder through the

    Life Span) by Paul Wender, MD (1987)

    This was one of the earlier books to discuss criteria for diagnosing and

    treating AD/HD in older adolescents and adults. The publication of this book and

    related articles made it easier for child psychiatrists to continue to treat

    adolescents who had reached adulthood and to actually diagnose AD/HD in adults.

    Other physicians have since published broader criteria for the diagnosis of

    adult AD/HD. This can be heavy reading for the lay person.

     

  6. You

    Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy? By

    Kelly and Ramundo (1993)

    This book is useful for older adolescents, their parents, and for adults with

    ADHD. It gives practical, concrete information on how to organize one’s

    workspace, and how to manage a schedule. It is easy to read selected parts

    individually. The humorous illustrations are a plus. This is a good book for an

    AD/HD adolescent to take to college.

     

  7. Driven

    to Distraction and

    Answers to Distractions by Drs. Hallowell and Ratey .

    These books present basic information about AD/HD in a user-friendly format.

    Answers is particularly good reading for adults with short attention spans

    because it presents material in short chunks. The books discuss both child and

    adult AD/HD issues, but the book is aimed at adults. Some adolescents could

    benefit from these books too.


 

Books for Children

with ADHD

 

  1. Otto Learns About His Medicine by Matthew Galvin

    This illustrated book talks about a young car who visits a special engine mechanic and

    receives an engine treatment to help him run at the right speed. The author uses this

    metaphor to explain the nature of ADHD, the process of getting a psychiatric evaluation

    and good questions to ask about medication. The book is aimed at some elementary school

    children and some pre-schoolers

  2. Distant Drums, Different Drummers by Barbara Ingersoll, 1995(Reviewed

    in the fall 97 issue of Hypertalk, the newsletter of Baltimore County C

    HADD)

    This book is aimed at middle and high school students but appropriate for some elementary

    school students. The author discusses the positive evolutionary aspects of ADHD. She also

    discusses coping techniques and treatment.

        

  3. Review by Nicole, age 10

      Do you have ADHD and want to know more about it? The best book for you is Distant

    Drums, Different Drummers by Barbara Ingersoll Ph.D.. This book is about the problems

    ADHD kids might have and how to solve the problems. For instance, one of the solutions to

    the problems is taking a medicine like Dexedrine or Ritalin. Another solution is to keep

    your room really well organized, so that you can find everything easily. At the end of the

    book is a self-assessment checklist with things such as: “I get along with my

    mom”, “I take turns and play fair”, “I stick with my homework until

    it’s done”, and “I take care of my room and my belongings”. You would

    check off either ‘no problem’ or ‘needs work’. Dr. Ingersoll is a very

    good writer. This book tells almost every little detail that a child with ADHD might want

    to know about, except not enough what is good about having ADHD, which is too bad.

    The author is trying to write a book to teach children about their disorder.

    The moral is ‘no matter what color, race, or disorder, everyone can be friends if you

    try’. This book is wonderful, telling children scientific facts in an understandable

    way that makes the facts un-boring. This book makes children feel good about themselves,

    though they have the disorder. I try my hardest to have a few more criticisms for the

    book, but I fail to think of even one more bad thing about the book. It tells how maybe

    ADHD may be the living warrior of the past disorder. That could make almost any little boy

    I know with ADHD feel much better about himself. This book is a wonderful book for any child who battles ADHD. This book is a

    book that I recommend to especially little boys, this is because there are a few chapters

    which are about age-old warriors, cavemen, and the Middle Ages. The beginning of the book

    is for either girls or boys. Adolescents may like the book, but there is a pretty good

    chance that they will not want to read this book. That is because this book seems to be

    mostly aimed at younger-than-adolescents. The second bad thing about the book is that

    through the whole book the author writes ‘ADHD’, when some of the people who

    read the book might have only Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADD. I think that the writer

    should have written “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Attention Deficit

    Disorder”. That was only a small part of the book though. Still, my over all summary

    is: Outstanding!

  4.   Eagle Eyes (A child’s guide to paying attention) 1991 by Jeanne

    Gehret 

    This book, aimed at elementary and some middle school students, It tells the story of a

    boy who becomes discouraged by his difficulties with attention and organization. He

    benefits from evaluation and treatment. Eventually, he comes to see the advantages of some

    of his special characteristics. (See Ms. Gehret’s book about Ben’s sister under

    “Sibling Issues.” 

  5. Putting on the Brakes

    by Quinn and Stern (1991)

    This book has become something of a classic during its short existence. It explains, for

    the older elementary school and middle school child, the definition of ADHD, and gives

    information about how to improve problem areas, such as disorganization. There is a useful

    appendix containing information for parents. Parents and children can use this book

    together. The authors also publish a newsletter for children with AD/HD.

  6. My

    Brother’s a World Class Pain: A

    Sibling’s Guide to ADHD/Hyperactivity by Gordon (1992)

    This would be a much better book if the author would change the title. While

    the title may accurately reflect the feelings of some siblings, the book

    might get left around and generate some hurt feelings. Because of this, I do

    not keep it in my waiting room. Once past the title, the book has wonderful,

    amusing illustrations and the text keeps elementary school siblings

    interested. The sister eventually does come to appreciate her brother, but

    kids keep coming back to that title.

     

  7. I’m

    Somebody Too

    by Gehret

    (1992)

    Those who have read Eagle Eyes by the same author will recognize

    Emily, Ben’s older sister. It is aimed at an older elementary school or

    middle school child. Emily feels that her parents are ignoring her and

    expecting her to maintain perfect behavior so that they can deal with Ben.

    Emily and the family work with Ben’s therapist to gain an understanding of

    Emily’s own needs. This book may also be useful for other girls who feel

    that their families expect them to be too perfect.

     

  8. Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention

    by Nadeau and Dixon

    This book is appropriate for younger elementary school aged children and some older

    children who have short attention spans. This book is fast paced and funny. It discusses

    the symptoms of ADHD and some possible solutions.  I liked it because it can be read

    on more than one level. A parent could first read it to a child, and the child could

    subsequently either read the entire text, or more likely, read the cartoons and their

    captions. This book received the enthusiastic approval of a seven year old. Although he

    certainly could have read the entire text, I think that when he was up in his bedroom, he

    read and reread the cartoon. 

  9. Review by Nicole, age 10. The book, Learning to Slow Down and Pay Attention, by Kathleen G.

    Nadeau, Ph.D. and Ellen B. Dixon, Ph.D., and illustrated by John R. Rose is a wonderful

    book for children with ADHD. This book is especially for children ages five to ten. This

    book gives children a checklist of their problems, and tells how to solve them. Also,

    since children with ADHD have a short attention span, there are fun games scattered

    through the book. These games help children with ADHD to stick to the book. There is no

    point in getting a book if people put it down after only a chapter. I think it might be

    good to photocopy the games in the book so that you can do all of the games and just photo

    copy it again when you want to do the games again. I really liked the wonderful cartoons

    that relate to the text. These will also help children keep reading the book. This is a

    great book, and I recommend it to all children who have ADD or ADHD, or are being

    diagnosed for it.

     

    The First Star I See  by

    Jaye Andras Cattrey

    Review by Nicole, age ten

    First Star I See by Jaye Andras Cattrey was a four

    star book. It was a charming novel for 2nd – 5th graders. It

    won an “American Bookseller Pick of the Lists” prize. The main character, Paige, has previously been diagnosed with ADD. She

    daydreams all the time during class, so much in fact, that her classmates call her

    “spacey.” Her class is having a competition to see who can write the best paper on a

    space subject that they are assigned. She is absent-minded, so that she forgets about her

    paper until it becomes an urgent priority. Meanwhile, her dog is stealing toys from children. Usually innocent children

    too. While trying to steal the neighbor’s cat’s toy, the dog almost drowns.

    Paige’s dog provides distraction for her when she least wants it. This book is good for girls because they will see in it a character like

    themselves. They can realize that they aren’t the only person in the world with ADD.

    They will find that they can succeed with ADD, and that you don’t have to be the

    perfect student to get what you want. I would recommend this book for psychiatrists and social workers to have in

    their office. It provides something and someone for the children to relate to. Personally

    I thought that the book was wonderful and would be a good addition to an ADD-child’s

    library.


Books Dealing with Adult AD/HD

  1. Attention

    Deficit Disorder: A Different Perceptive

    by

    Thom Hartmann (1993)

    Mr. Hartmann has a unique view of AD/HD. He sees it as a valid cluster of

    personality traits that have only become problematic as our society has shifted

    to a more sedentary, detail-oriented lifestyle. He suggests that society should

    value people with AD/HD because their “action-oriented” style can be

    useful in the right situation or the right job. He advocates special learning

    environments for AD/HD children. This book raises the interesting question of

    how much an individual should conform to society and how much society should

    make efforts to accommodate individual differences

    .

  2. The

    Hyperactive Child, Adolescent and Adult (Attention Deficit Disorder through the

    Life Span) by Paul Wender, MD (1987)

    This was one of the earlier books to discuss criteria for diagnosing and

    treating AD/HD in older adolescents and adults. The publication of this book and

    related articles made it easier for child psychiatrists to continue to treat

    adolescents who had reached adulthood and to actually diagnose AD/HD in adults.

    Other physicians have since published broader criteria for the diagnosis of

    adult AD/HD. This can be heavy reading for the lay person.

     

  3. You

    Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy? By

    Kelly and Ramundo (1993)This book is useful for older adolescents, their

    parents, and for adults with ADHD. It gives practical, concrete information on

    how to organize one’s workspace, and how to manage a schedule. It is easy to

    read selected parts individually. The humorous illustrations are a plus. This is

    a good book for an AD/HD adolescent to take to college.

  4. Driven

    to Distraction and

    Answers to Distractions by Drs. Hallowell and Ratey .

    These books present basic information about AD/HD in a user-friendly format.

    Answers is particularly good reading for adults with short attention spans

    because it presents material in short chunks. The books discuss both child and

    adult AD/HD issues, but the book is aimed at adults. Some adolescents could

    benefit from these books too.


For more

books, including topics such as learning disorders, social skills, and much

more, please see our Book Review Site


Our ADHD Articles

on the Web

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Adult Attention Deficit Disorder:

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Helping Your

Child Succeed in School

Coping Styles in ADD

Adults

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Hints for Raising and Educating an ADHD Child

Neurobiological

Diagnosis and Personal Responsibility: How Does Morality Fit in with ADD?

Attention Deficit

Disorder in Adults (Adult ADD)

Attention

Deficit Disorder in Children and Adolescents

How Computers Can Help Individuals

with ADD


 

A poem for ADHD adults: It can be fun.

My candle burns at both ends;

It will not last the night;

But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends –

It gives a lovely light!

Edna St. Vincent Millay

A Few Figs From Thistles by  E. St. Vincent Millay. 1920 

 


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